TRISTAR PRODUCTS rip-off Wallingford Connecticut

I had to respond becaume my experience could have been awful, but they were stand up. I had a steam buggy and was burned (literally) with first and second degree burns. I tried to reach the contacts above but the email bounced.

After some sleuthing I found the following customer service number:
203 265 9477

The man who answered was great, and with no problems at all got a refund for my purchase price over 3 years ago, which is more expensive than the version now!

After having been burned by my previous one I'm looking for a new one, and with my positive experience I have no qualms about replacing it with one from this company again.

This company definately did NOT rip me off!!!!!

Thank you for that information. I have already taken the steps suggested. I hope I can get my money back for the defective merchandise I received!

I have purchased the Steam Buggy Platinum Plus. It didn't do anything that the commercial said it did. I couldn't get ahold of anyone within the company for a refund until I read the comments in here.

I was apprehensive after listening to the nightmares, however, I wrote several e-mails to Gwenn and we worked it out with no hassles and no wait.

I was very polite in my e-mails and followed her directions by sending the Steam Buggy to her address at TRISTAR Products, 492 Route 46 East, Fairfield, NJ. 07004. To her attention and a return receipt requested from the post office. In less than 1 week, she received the box and credited my account for the full purchase. Yes, that's right. I even checked my CC company and it was credited.

I want to thank the people here that provided the contact, Gwen James. Without it I don't think that I would have resolved anything.

Some Email addresses did not come through correctly in my rebuttal above, so here they are:

Customer Service - Gwen James - GwenJ@tristarproductsinc.com

Corporate - Alfreda Cooper - alfredac@tristarproductsinc.com

FTC Suit - www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/05/projectabsurd.htm

Regards,

I had exactly the same problem with Tristar, as to the Steam Buggy, i.e., Bank Account Debited within 24 hours, no product shipped, could not get a refund, Customer Service numbers rarely answered, Customer Service refused to give out Corporate information, but I did finally get my refund, by being very persistent, over many months from 2002 to 2003, and exerceising some of the tactics that I describe here.

After that, I was going to let the issue drop. However, every time I go this Site I see more and more Complaints from people still being scammed by Tristar Products, every day, and that really irritates me. Below, is some information on the Corporate contracts for Tristar Products, and some general help information, that I hope will be useful to you. Warning - Tristar seems to be changing that in an apparant attempt to keep hidden, so I have no guarantee of how long this information will be valid.

Tristar Contact\Corporate Information

The Tristar address of Box 5018, 26 Barnes Industrial Road South, Wallingford CT., seems to be bogus. At least you will not find Tristar listed in any Business Directory, or Telephone Directory, in Wallingford. Postal mail sent to their Wallingford address must go somewhere, because it does not get returned, but there is also never a response, so I don't know where the Postal mail to that address really goes. Also, the only 1-800 number that is guaranteed to answer quickly, every time, is the number you call to order the product ("...please have your credit card ready...").

Tristar Products Inc. is a Pennsylvania Corporation, whose principal place of business is the address in Parsippany, N.J. (address below). Tristar Products, Inc. is registered in Nevada , as a Foreign Corporation. It's President, and a Defandent in the FTC Lawsuit, and one of it's five stockholders, is Kishore "Keith" Mirchandari. His picture, along with his description of what a successful and innovative Company they are, is on their Corporate Website (URL listed below).

Now that some people have found out Tristar's Corporate information (which they and their Customer Service worked so hard to keep secret), Tristar seems to be changing their real addresses and telephone numbers (not the 1-800 numbers that never answer anyway), again in a seeming attempt to continue to keep their real identity from the very public that they are aparantly scamming. Think about it - a legitimate Company, with a good popular Product, would be proud to be known - so what does that say about a Company (i.e. Tristar Products) that uses every scheme in the book in an attempt to keep it's real identity hidden from it's Customers.

Here is their last known Corporate contacts that I am aware of. Their Customer Service Department refuses to give out this information, I found it by doing some simple, public information, research work on the Net. Although Tristar is changing this address, however postal mail forwarding still seems to be in effect at this time.

Tristar Products, Inc.
4 Century Drive
Parsippany, New Jersey 07054

They are also changing their Telephone numbers, so I do not know how long these will be in effect:

Tel: 973-683-1000
Fax: 973-683-1001
1-877-9-SEEN-ON-TV

I do have one of the changed numbers for Gwen James, through the Courtesy of another Complaint on this site, i.e. Susan in Mystic, CT.

973-575-5400 ext. 112

Some contacts at Corporate (I expect these Email addresses will probably change:
Customer Service: Gwen James
Corporate: Alfreda Cooper

Their present Internet information (which I expect they will also probably change, except for their tvinventions site) is:
www.tvinventions.com (Their Website as seen on their TV Infomercials, and used only for ordering from their TV Infomercials. It has no contact or Corporate information)
www.tristarproductsinc.com (Their Corporate Website, which their Customer Service will not give out, and which is still functioning as of this date - you may find other information there.)
info@tristarproductsinc.com(Their Email address, which their Customer Service also will not give out, but which was functioning the last time I tried it, a couple of weeks ago).

General Help Info

As many people as possible, who have been ripped off, should file complaints against Tristar, not only with the Consumer Protection Agencies, the BBBs, the District Attorneys, etc., but also with the Consumer Action Reporters on the Net, the Newspapers, and on the TV and Radio (i.e., as well as the Net, also get the word out to the Public thru Printed and Broadcast media).

You should also file complaints directly with the TV and Radio Stations and Magazines, that carry the Tristar and the www.tvinventions.com Infomercials and Advertisements (although that will probably do little good, since the Broadcast Stations and Magazines Advertising Departments have only one goal in life, to make money no matter what the outcome, and if Tristar pays them to broadcast false and misleading Infomercials, they really don't care - but send the complaint anyway).

VERY Important ! - Especially file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (you can file On Line, or write to them). In all such communications, regardless of who it is going to, I prefer On Line with a written and signed followup, it seems to be more effective. The FTC Website is at:
http://www.ftc.gov/

The FTC may not act immediately, but they will definately take note of the complaint, and enough complaints will eventually bring an investigation, and if found to be warranted, will result in Legal Action, and the FTC are the ones who have the legal power and might to enforce. The FTC has already filed a lawsuit with the Courts, against Tristar, and two other companies, for false and misleading advertising involving the Abdominal Exercise Belts (like the "Fast Abs"), and that infomarcial has been taken off of TV. The info on the suit can be found at:
05/projectabsurd.htm>

Also if you have been harmed by any of Tristar's products, then you should definately get the word out that the product is potentially dangerous (one model of the Steam Buggy, for example, has already been recalled as dangerous) - that information can be found at the Government Consumer Product Safety Website:
http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/
PREREL/prhtml02/02529.html
Good Luck !